The Invisible Attacker

They are invisible yet they are known to cause a lot of our most common problems without most of us even realizing it:

• Body odour
• Bad breath
• Gum disease & tooth decay
• Certain types of acne
• Food poisoning

Yes, all these are caused by harmful bacteria! And in a bid to keep bacteria away and keep the rates of The Disease Which Shall Not Be Named low, many child care agencies are teaching our kids to wash their hands for at least 1 minute by singing the "Hand-washing Song".

Case in point.

Video by the mum-in-law, who was trying to film my girl singing the "Hand-washing Song"

Unfortunately my girl wasn't being particularly cooperative and was only willing to wash her hands for at most 30 seconds, which is a common problem with most kids. Although children are washing their hands, they are not washing them with anti-bacterial soap or washing them long enough, perhaps because hand-washing is not a particularly fun thing to do.

There is an alternative way that may just bring in the fun-factor!

Catch the full video: Lifebuoy's Hulk Colour Changing Handwash

Lifebuoy has come up with a very ingenious way of getting your child's hands clean in a fun and cool way. All your child needs to do is wash their hands with Lifebuoy's 'Hulk' Colour Changing Hand Wash until the liquid turns green, which signifies that the hands are clean enough to wash off!

I wish that they would have a pink version though as my girl doesn't like green or the hulk (typical girl). She still sticks to singing (something she loves to do) and since Lifebuoy kills germs in 10 seconds, I suppose that will work as well =)

Teach germs a lesson, be one step ahead of infections with Lifebuoy! 

Disclosure: This is Part 5 of a series of sponsored stories on behalf of Lifebuoy Singapore. All opinions are my own.

1st Attempt at Cream of Broccoli

I said I would move on to making Cream of Broccoli from scratch the last time I tried out the hand blender, so as promised, here's the recipe that we used (didn't follow the book exactly as we didn't have all the ingredients).

Ingredients for Cream of Broccoli:
1 litre of chicken stock
1 head of broccoli (chopped)
50g of butter
50g of flour
100g of leeks (diced)
100g of onions
100g of celery
200ml of cream
2 egg yolks
Pepper

As usual, I roped in the Head Chef of my house (aka mum-in-law) to prepare and cook the soup.

Step 1: Ensure all ingredients are diced, sliced and sieved.

Chopped and cooked broccoli, diced onions, leeks & celery and cooked egg yolks

Sieved flour

Step 2: In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the Mirepoix (I had no idea what this meant until I googled), and stir for abour 5 minutes until soft.

Mirepoix = Leeks, onions & celery

Step 3: Add broccoli and flour and let it cook for a while.

Broccoli, which was later cut into smaller pieces with a scissors

Step 4: Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 15-30 minutes until the broccoli is soft.

Simmering mixture

Step 5: Turn off the heat and puree the soup by using the Philips Jamie Oliver Hand Blender directly into the pan until smooth.

Use Turbo Power for quicker blending

After about 5-10 minutes of blending

Step 5: Heat the pan again and stir in the egg yolk and cream to desired consistency. Add pepper and viola, you're done!

1st attempt at Cream of Broccoli Soup!

On hindsight, we may have added too much leeks, onions and celery (we didn't like the taste). Decided that we only need to add 50g of onions in future. Also, we might have to either blend the mixture for longer or sieve it to make the soup smoother. Otherwise, the taste and consistency was just right. Not bad for a 1st attempt! =)

Try it yourself! If I can cook, anyone can! *laughs*


Keep life simple with the PHILIPS | Jamie Oliver range which includes a food processor (S$268), blender (S$128) and hand blender (S$108). Available at leading electronics and departmental stores. For more information on the Philips Jamie Oliver range of products, visit Philips Singapore.

Disclosure: This is Part 2 of a series of sponsored conversations on behalf of Philips Electronics Singapore. All opinions are my own.

Art for Adults

Singapore Mom Bloggers (SMB) is organising a few events in celebration of our community turning 1 year old and I managed to take time to attend the one held at HeART Studio.

HeART Studio

It was a class for adults where we learnt how to use oil pastels on canvas, with a new technique of course.

We were loaned a box of oil pastels each

Trying to replicate the drawing we were given

The last time I touched oil pastels were super long ago! I've always preferred to use acrylic paint as they were less messy once you were done. But it was still really fun and very therapeutic to be sitting on a Sunday morning tapping your oil pastels on the canvas (though at the end of it all, I still preferred my trusty ole brush haha).

Group photo with the other SMBs

HeART Studio not only conducts adult canvas classes to teach basic to expert art techniques (just 2 to start a class) to adults, they also offer art classes for children 3-12 years old. Hence, you can choose to organise a class at the same time as your child's class so that both of you can enjoy art at the same time. Kills 2 birds with 1 stone =)

Heart Studio is located at 101 Soo Chow Walk, Singapore 575385.

Disclosure: An invitation to this event was received from Singapore Mom Bloggers & HeART Studio. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

Remind Me Again, Why Did I Sign Up For This?

Photo credit: josemanuelerre via photopin cc

At the end of yet another scary dream (this time of voodoo hands & zombies), I find myself rudely awaken a 2nd time in the middle of the night to use the toilet >_<

After which I toss and turn in my bed as a thousand thoughts flew through my mind while I tried my hardest to go back to sleep..

"Omg! It has started already?! I'm only 14 weeks along.."
"How do boobs double in size in just 2 months?! I need more D cup bra.."

"What am I going to wear tomorrow? I've maxed out all my loose clothing!!"*deep sigh*

"Oh no I've got so many pending blog posts!! I haven't even finished my Bali posts!!" *deeper sigh*

And the worse part is that since I've been through this once, I sort of know that it's only going to get worse from here on. More trips to the toilet, more backaches, more cramps..

I know, I know, I shouldn't be complaining since I've been given the greatest gift of all.. a gift many people really, really want and try so hard to get but find it so hard.

I should be thankful and believe me, I am.

But since Pregnancy has never been kind to me, it's sooo hard to stay positive especially when it's so easy to sink into one of those "woe is me" modes. When you're stuck in a body that you no longer recognise anymore for 9 months, to be honest, it is like a hellish nightmare that doesn't seem to end. People says it gets worse when the baby is out and yes it does. But at least it doesn't last for NINE months!!

I'm counting down to the weeks (26 to be exact, I'm not even halfway there!!) where I can see and smell the fruits of my labour.

Why did I sign up for this?
This is why.

Girlee in the delivery suite 10 minutes after leaving my you-know-where =)

Philips "Godzilla" PerfectCare PSG Iron

Unlike most people, I never had a problem with ironing. I actually find it therapeutic (well, you do know I'm a neat freak right? *laughs*) and used to help my mum with it when I was younger.

Having used many types of iron before, I was actually shocked when I received the gigantic Philips PerfectCare Expert Pressurized Steam Generator (PSG) Iron as I have never seen anything like it before.

Compared to the regular Philips iron that I was already using at home, the new iron was a lot smaller and lighter. The bulk of it is actually the Pressurized Steam Generator, which is able to provide continuous steam for up to 120g/min. Of course, that meant that you would require a stable base to put the relatively heavy base (do not place it on an ordinary ironing board!).

In addition, all you need to do is lock the iron securely to the base and you would be able to carry the whole appliance easily!

It's also really easy to get started.

First, fill up the 1.5 litre detachable water tank with water, which can provide steam ironing for up to 2 hours without refilling (I filled it with only half of its full capacity and had more than enough left at the end of my ironing).

Press the start button at the side of the base. It takes about 2 minutes for the appliance to start up before you're able to use it.

The light on the iron will keep blinking and will only stop when the iron is ready to use. There is no need to adjust the setting as it is just ONE perfect setting for all types of clothes (e.g. silk, cotton, wool, etc). Easy enough even for children as young as 8 years old! =)

For me though, it felt kind of foreign to not be able to change the settings! (Control freak much? *laughs*)

The iron is really fast and powerful although the heat released is hotter than a regular iron. In addition, the Easy De-Calc, a hassle free & effective anti-scale system also ensures the durability of your steam generator.

But no matter how impressive the iron is, to be honest, I was even more impressed with the Easy8 Ironing Board that came with it!

Compared to my regular ironing board, the Easy8 Ironing Board was definitely a lot bigger. And it has to be, in order to be able to support 5kg base plus iron!

But that is not the reason why I found it so impressive.

First, it comes with an attached handle where you can hang your beautiful clothes after you've finished ironing! Super convenient =)

But more importantly, it has 2 easily extendable side boards which allows me to easily position the hubby's shirts with minimal adjustments.

After you position the shirt, all you need to do is glide on the power iron and you're done in just 1 minute! For once, his shirts were easier to iron than my dresses! Even the mum-in-law was impressed.

The best part is that this amazing ironing board (worth S$299) actually comes complimentary with the Philips PerfectCare PSG Iron, which retails at S$699 at leading electronics and departmental stores. It's quite expensive but there is always a price for quality!

All in all, although the iron is heavy and takes up quite a bit of space, its utility and convenience totally makes up for its bulkiness and price. Definitely a worthwhile purchase if you want to save time and energy because hey, time and effort is worth more than money! =)


Disclosure: Complimentary Philips PerfectCare PSG Iron & Ironing Board were received from Philips Electronics Singapore for the purposes of this review. No monetary compensation was received; all opinions are my own.

Drypers Little Day Out at Expo

Image was cropped to fit this post;
Original Image from Drypers Singapore

The Drypers Little Day Out Carnival is back for a 2nd time!

Promising a whole host of games, activities, rides and stage performances, Drypers Little Day Out will be even bigger and better this year.

This year, the whole focus of the carnival will be on family so all the activities will be geared towards encouraging young and old to spend time on the things that matter while having fun at the same time.

Watch out for family building activities such as cupcake baking for parents and children, gym and music sessions, speech and drama performances and even story-telling. There will also be a huge play area, a train ride and a pirate ship to keep your kids entertained!

There will also be a charity drive to raise funds for needy families. All you have to do is purchase a Special Drypers Happy Pack (worth up to S$40) at just S$10-15 (depending on the type of diapers) and all proceeds will go to the KKH Health Endowment Fund, which supports mothers and children who lack resources when seeking medical help.

Details of the Carnival:
Date: 6 July 2013 (Saturday)
Time: 11am – 7pm
Venue: Singapore Expo Hall 4B
Fee: FREE with registration

Registration:
Register on-site at the carnival or visit Drypers Singapore Facebook Page (note that the event tab and registration form is not accessible via mobile devices). Each completed registration form admits one family.

With so much fun in store for your family, what are you waiting for? Register now! =)


Disclosure: This is Part 2 of a series of sponsored stories on behalf of Drypers Singapore. All opinions are my own.